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Unjust Words
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McHugh–Callan, Moral Theology
Vol. II, Pt. II, Q. II, Art. 4. The Vices Opposed …, Unjust Words
Unjust Words
Unjust Words.—We shall now take up the injustice that is done through words spoken outside of a judicial process, or the classes of verbal injustice that are not peculiar to courts, but are committed on all sorts of occasions, public and private. The principal sins here are distinguished according to the different injuries intended by the sinful speaker, and are as follows:
(a) sinful words that signify or effect in another person the evil of guilt, thereby depriving him of benefits that are connected with virtue. Some evil speakers deprive their neighbor of tributes that are paid to virtue by others, such as honor (injury by contumely), fame (injury by defamation), friendship (injury by whispering); while other evil speakers deprive a person of the tribute of virtue paid by his own conscience, namely, self-respect and peace of mind (injury by derision);
(b) sinful words that signify or effect against another person the evil of punishment. The words are known under the general name of cursing.
Prümmer, Manuale Theologiae Moralis
Vol. II, Tr. XI, Sect. I, Q. III, Ch. III, Article IV. On Unjust Damaging By Words · Vol. II, Tr. XI, Sect. I, Q. III, Ch. III, Art. IV, II. On Injuries By Words Outside Judgments
Vol. II, Tr. XI, Sect. I, Q. III, Ch. III, Article IV. On Unjust Damaging By Words
Preliminary note. After we have treated of the vices which wound justice by deeds, whether in external goods or in goods pertaining to life itself, there remains to be treated the obligation of not violating justice also by words. Almost all these obligations are reduced to the eighth precept of the Decalogue: "You shall not speak false testimony against your neighbor."215 Therefore, just as under injuries against the goods of the body we comprised the fifth precept, so now under injury by words we treat of the eighth precept of the Decalogue. - St. Thomas distinguishes between injuries by words which are done in judgment, and those which are caused outside judgment. Therefore he first treats of the injustice of the judge, of the accuser, of the defendant, of witnesses, and of advocates.216 But since, for ecclesiastical judgments, all these things are determined in canon law, while for lay judgments there are usually norms determined most specially by the codes of diverse nations, we shall treat very briefly I. of injuries by words in judgment, namely, of the obligations and sins 1. of the judge, 2. of the accuser and the plaintiff, 3. of witnesses, 4. of the advocate, and 5. of the accused or defendant. Then we shall treat II. of injuries by words outside judgment, namely, 1. of truthfulness and its violation, 2. of lying, 3. of mental restriction, 4. of violation of a secret, 5. of wounding of honor, 6. of wounding of reputation, 7. of rash judgment.
215 Ex. 20, 16.
216 S. theol. 2, 2, q. 67-71.
Vol. II, Tr. XI, Sect. I, Q. III, Ch. III, Art. IV, II. On Injuries By Words Outside Judgments
Preliminary note. Rightly and deservedly St. James called the tongue "a world of iniquity,"287 because very many iniquities and injustices are caused by the tongue. But we shall treat, as was already said above, art. 4: 1. of truthfulness; then of the vices opposed to it, namely, 2. of lying, where also there will be discussion of simulation, boasting, and irony, 3. of mental restriction, 4. of violation of a secret, 5. of wounding of honor, 6. of wounding of reputation, 7. of rash judgment. Thus we comprise all those things which other authors are accustomed to treat under the eighth precept of the Decalogue.
287 Jas. 3, 6.